The Ebola Readiness Task Force, established Oct. 17, 2014, just days after Salem Hospital received a suspected Ebola patient, is being decommissioned. The work developing and maintaining staff readiness for a suspected Ebola patient is transitioning back to traditional organizational components.

What does this mean to you? As disease alerts are published by recognized authorities, the screening and treatment process will be modified as necessary using the usual organization communication channels and leadership structure. Travel questions used for screening patients at the point of entry will be continued until guidance is received from the CDC that they can be discontinued. All staff need to assess patients for signs and symptoms of communicable disease at the point of entry and initiate the use of appropriate personal protective equipment and isolation.

What the Task Force accomplished: The Task Force enabled Salem Health to rapidly improve and broaden Ebola processes and integrate those processes throughout the organization and our community. The Task Force guided efforts of more than 100 staff in the critical planning work. This significantly bolstered and expanded upon plans that had been developed by a much smaller planning team.

Resources developed include:

Personal protective equipment (PPE) inventory sufficient for a team of care providers treating a high-contagion patient.

Lessons learned: The Task Force model is an adaptation of the hospital incident command system used to manage disasters and emergency incidents. This model enabled Salem Health to quickly develop an effective, sophisticated, and integrated inventory of resources and capabilities to address a rapidly evolving health care threat. It is well-suited for rapidly evolving, complex, long-term health care threats.

The VTE risk stratification team continues to meet and gather provider feedback and utilization data on the new VTE risk stratification tool in Epic. Please read the document responding to frequently asked questions regarding the new risk assessment tool. Please continue to reach out to John Hannig, MD, or Preethi Prakash, MD, the prevention team physician champions, with any questions or concerns.

Ten days until the ICD-10 go-live! After years of starting and stopping, we can finally transition to ICD-10 and move on.

A command center will be set up beginning 5 a.m. on Oct. 1 to support all impacted providers and Salem Health employees. Call 503-561-4357 (1-HELP from hospital phones) and follow the prompts for ICD-10 command center.

Providers, please follow these guidelines:

Inpatient

Ensure your diagnoses are ICD-10 compliant and as specific as possible.

Strive to provide the most specific documentation possible throughout the patients' course.
There are, of course, unknowns throughout the patient's stay and treatment and a high degree of specificity is not always an option, but where you can, be as specific as possible.

The clinical documentation specialists will be in their usual places for extended hours (Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) to offer providers support during go-live.

If you need assistance immediately, call 503-561-4357 (1-HELP from hospital phones) and follow the prompts for ICD-10 command center

Outpatient

Use Epic diagnosis calculator and roll down to the most specific diagnosis possible.

Be as specific as possible in your notes.

If you need assistance immediately, call 503-561-4357 (1-HELP from hospital phones) and follow the prompts for ICD-10 command center.

More command center information

The command center will operate in variable daytime hours.

It will be fully staffed from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 1 and 2, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 3 and 4, 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 5, 6 and 7.

Fpr after-hours support call 503-561-4357 (1-HELP) from hospital phones and follow the prompts for ICD-10 command center. Solution Center staff will direct your call to the appropriate resource. Regular status updates and information will be sent from the command center.

First thing to remember about ICD-10: Document to the required specificity. Your documentation is required to support the severity of illness (SOI), length of stay (LOS), risk of mortality (ROM) and to support the codes that need to be assigned.

Key elements needed to support procedural coding:

State the intention

Procedure objective (I&D, excision, etc.)

Site of procedure

Describe the approach

Technique and/or method (percutaneous, endoscopic, etc.)

Conversions (laproscopic to open)

Detail the outcomes

Total vs. partial

Document any devices and/or implants; anything left in the body; grafts, prostheses, etc.

The Op note will have greater significance because the chart cannot be coded until it has been completed.

Salem Health now has a Vice President of Medical Affairs (VPMA), Andrew Furman, MD. Read Chief Medical Officer Steve Gordon's introductory letter to learn more about Dr. Furman and the role of the VPMA.

The medical staff flu vaccination goal this year is 100 percent! Read the letter from Medical Staff President Michael Hanslits, MD, to learn what you need to do, how to get an exception if needed, and where to get the vaccine.

On Sept. 15 Salem Health went live with a new McKesson EKG database for all EKGs performed in the Salem Health network.McKesson replaces Tracemaster.Processes are unchanged with the exception of one additional click in Epic for viewing EKGs. Email Julie Whitlow for the tip sheet.

Call the Help Desk at 503-561-4357 for support if you're having trouble logging in or other issues with the McKesson/EKG database.

Salem Health surgical services went live on Sept. 14, 2015, with a new OR Inventory Management System (ORIMS), QSight, supported by the vendor Owens & Minor. Implementation of QSight will greatly improve the current state of inventory ordering, usage tracking, and reporting processes. By moving to the use of an integrated inventory system, real-time access to inventory data will be created for continuous improvement.

If you experience any technical problems related to QSight, please contact the Solution Center at solution.center@salemhealth.org or dial 1-4357 (1-HELP) and your call will be triaged for resolution. Surgical Services team members and leadership are also prepared to answer any operations questions you may have about the new system.

Oregon has never been afraid to try new things when it comes to health care policy. Governor Kate Brown has added a new aid to help chart the course of health care in Oregon. Read Kate Brown appoints health care policy adviser from The Oregonian on Sept. 3.

Salem Health and the Diabetes CARE Collaborative of Marion and Polk Counties are hosting the first primary care diabetes symposium on Friday, Nov. 13, 2 to 7 p.m. Read the learning objectives, CME potential in the flier.

Learn from occupational therapists how to make adaptations and modifications that will make one's home safer. Topics include use of equipment, simple home modifications, home safety, and assistance in home.

Learn simple tips and tricks to make modified textured meals easier and more enjoyable to eat. Speech language pathologists will teach you why diet modifications are important for conditions that require reflux restrictions, texture changes, and liquid consistencies.